Well I will have the Halle recordings (Mark Elder) - I was at the concerts where they were recorded. Parsifal by the same team. I wasn't there for that one but it's a wonderful recording. Tosca and Butterfly but I have no particular recordings in mind. I really can't make up my mind for the last one. Perhaps Damnation of Faust - I saw a wonderful energetic concert peformance by the BBC phil with Noseda on the podium. It was years ago but it's one that sticks in the memory.
Can DVDs count? Fredericka von Stade as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne in 1973 is an iconic performance, and I can't imagine anyone ever equaling her in that role for both her looks and her voice.
CONGRATULATIONS! Opera enthusiast, opera journalist, opera company founder, opera connections everywhere...that's one incredible journey. I wish you the very best of luck!
Does Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen count as one opera?
Anyway, that or at least Walkure from it. Then I will take Bellini's La Sonnambula, (Grubrova), Mascagni's L'amico Fritz (Gheorghiu), and Flotow's Marths (Lucia Popp).
Ok if all these are DVDs I want the Ring to be The Machine. Ana Durlovski for Sonnambula. Theodossiou for L'Amico Fritz. The german television edition of Martha with Lucy Peacock and Elizabeth Steiner. And finally the Sawallisch DVD of the Hollander.
First, Orfeo and Eurydice with Stephanie Blyth playing Orfeo. It so fits the seductive strangeness of opera - going down in the underworld to save a lover. Orfeo pleading to the gods to save his Eurydice is one of my favorite songs. Second, Don Giovanni, with Ferruccio Furlanetto as Leporello - so funny (and Byron Terfel as DG. Third, La Traviatta, Met Opera with Natalie Dessay as Violetta - oh that partying hussy - and the bizarre stage. Eugene Onegin with Dimitri Hvorostovsky and Renee Flemming - the letter writing scene is exquisite. Lastly, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, with Christopher Maltma singing "Largo al Factotum". Though his version of "L al F" isn't my favorite, he is my favorite (funny) Figaro. Guess I'm mostly a Verdi fan.
Yes! Edita Gruberová! This is one of the clips I am sharing this Sunday in memory of her life 😢 - stay tuned for a bit more on Abduction this Sunday and in the future
1. Delibes: Lakmé, Dame Joan Sutherland, Gabriel Bacquier, Emile Belcourt, Jane Berbié, Orchestre national de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo & Richard Bonynge, 1968
2. Rossini: La Cenerentola, Cecilia Bartoli, Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna & Riccardo Chailly, 1993
3. Verdi: Macbeth, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Renato Bruson, Mara Zampieri, Robert Lloyd, Neil Shicoff & Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, 1984
4. Catalani: La Wally, Vol. 1, Renata Tebaldi, Giacinto Prandelli, Jolanda Gardino, Dino Dondi, Pinuccia Perotti, RAI Orchestra of Rome, RAI Chorus of Rome & Arturo Basile, 2006
5. Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, Rolando Villazón, Marina Rebeka, Joyce DiDonato, Regula Mühlemann, Tara Erraught, Adam Plachetka, Chamber Orchestra of Europe & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, 2018
If I were stranded on a desert island, I would like lighter operas. Rossini: Il Viaggio A Reims 88-89 Staatsoper season, Abbado conducting. Brilliant!;
Guillaume Tell (it's always nice to hear the "Lone Ranger theme)! Donizetti:
L'Elsir d'amore - La Scala 2019. Mozart (sorry, I can't do umlauts): Die Entfuhrung ...; Die Zauberflote.
If I went a bit heavier I'd choose Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Baltsa and Gruberova, Staatsoper April 1986. This one "hooked" me on opera! Verdi's Don Carlo because of the duet. Bizet's The Pearl Fishers ... because of the duet. Enough!
Probably I'd take Nabucco, since is the first opera I saw live at the Opera house in Bucharest and ever since then I am in love with it. As for the interpretation, can I take with me the entire cast & orchestra? It has to be powerful if I am to spend my life stranded on that island 😂
The Catalani would be wonderful. Remember Wilhelmina Fernandez in the 80’s film ‘Diva’ -? The rest can be shared between Mozart, Handel and Verdi please!
Lucia di lammermoor (Callas), Nabucco (Muti-Ghiaurov), Falstaff (both of the version in the Met app, so Maestri and Plishka), Capriccio, Magic Flute. Also these last two, the Met versions. This is pretty much what stayed with me during the lockdown, probably I heard two of these every week, between others…
I don't want to influence this thread but Callas in Norma/1958 is going to be at the top of that list....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-TwMfgaDC8 - shoot this is hard 🤭
Wow - an excellent choice, just watched youtube clip - took my breath away and gave me goosebumps - amazing.
Does the Ring count as one?
Sure! I think that’s fair ;-)
Well I will have the Halle recordings (Mark Elder) - I was at the concerts where they were recorded. Parsifal by the same team. I wasn't there for that one but it's a wonderful recording. Tosca and Butterfly but I have no particular recordings in mind. I really can't make up my mind for the last one. Perhaps Damnation of Faust - I saw a wonderful energetic concert peformance by the BBC phil with Noseda on the podium. It was years ago but it's one that sticks in the memory.
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We will take the selections that are here and share background/commentary in future posts! (If they are pieces we haven’t covered yet)
Can DVDs count? Fredericka von Stade as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne in 1973 is an iconic performance, and I can't imagine anyone ever equaling her in that role for both her looks and her voice.
Yes! They count! We will probably be able to track down some selections on YouTube - will check!
My own new opera Company with Il Prigionero by Dallipiccola; Poulenc's LA VOIX HUMANE; and Menotti's THE TELEPHONE sotto voce !!!
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CONGRATULATIONS! Opera enthusiast, opera journalist, opera company founder, opera connections everywhere...that's one incredible journey. I wish you the very best of luck!
Does Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen count as one opera?
Anyway, that or at least Walkure from it. Then I will take Bellini's La Sonnambula, (Grubrova), Mascagni's L'amico Fritz (Gheorghiu), and Flotow's Marths (Lucia Popp).
Oh I forgot, also Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer
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He, he, sorry about all these self-replys, but no edit feature. So my top Hollander on CD is Sinopoli conducting.
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Make my Ring Sawallisch 1989 with Behrens as Brunnhilde.
Ok if all these are DVDs I want the Ring to be The Machine. Ana Durlovski for Sonnambula. Theodossiou for L'Amico Fritz. The german television edition of Martha with Lucy Peacock and Elizabeth Steiner. And finally the Sawallisch DVD of the Hollander.
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1. Wagner, RofN, Solti; 2. Puccini, La Boheme (Freni, Pavarotti), Schippers, 1969; 3. Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier (Te Kanawa, Von Otter, Hendricks), Haitink; 4. Verdi, Aida (Price, Domingo), 1970; 5. Bellini, Norma (Sutherland, Horne), Bonynge
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First, Orfeo and Eurydice with Stephanie Blyth playing Orfeo. It so fits the seductive strangeness of opera - going down in the underworld to save a lover. Orfeo pleading to the gods to save his Eurydice is one of my favorite songs. Second, Don Giovanni, with Ferruccio Furlanetto as Leporello - so funny (and Byron Terfel as DG. Third, La Traviatta, Met Opera with Natalie Dessay as Violetta - oh that partying hussy - and the bizarre stage. Eugene Onegin with Dimitri Hvorostovsky and Renee Flemming - the letter writing scene is exquisite. Lastly, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, with Christopher Maltma singing "Largo al Factotum". Though his version of "L al F" isn't my favorite, he is my favorite (funny) Figaro. Guess I'm mostly a Verdi fan.
Is it lame to pick 5 Mozart operas? 🤔
it's your island - you get to pick the company! ;-)
fair enough! then I'll take the 3 Da Ponte operas, the Magic Flute, and for a deep cut, Entführung aus dem Serail
I don't actually know Entführung too well but I came across this clip recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVBbv8BBihY lovely, and also extremely Mozart-y
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Yes! Edita Gruberová! This is one of the clips I am sharing this Sunday in memory of her life 😢 - stay tuned for a bit more on Abduction this Sunday and in the future
Not if those are your favorites.
1. Tristan und Isolde, Reiner
2. Turandot, Leinsdorf
3. Ring des Nibelungen, Boehm (lots of listening hours on a desert island 😉)
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Norma
Faust
Madame Butterfly
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1. Delibes: Lakmé, Dame Joan Sutherland, Gabriel Bacquier, Emile Belcourt, Jane Berbié, Orchestre national de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo & Richard Bonynge, 1968
2. Rossini: La Cenerentola, Cecilia Bartoli, Coro del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna & Riccardo Chailly, 1993
3. Verdi: Macbeth, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, Renato Bruson, Mara Zampieri, Robert Lloyd, Neil Shicoff & Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin, 1984
4. Catalani: La Wally, Vol. 1, Renata Tebaldi, Giacinto Prandelli, Jolanda Gardino, Dino Dondi, Pinuccia Perotti, RAI Orchestra of Rome, RAI Chorus of Rome & Arturo Basile, 2006
5. Mozart: La clemenza di Tito, Rolando Villazón, Marina Rebeka, Joyce DiDonato, Regula Mühlemann, Tara Erraught, Adam Plachetka, Chamber Orchestra of Europe & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, 2018
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Faust, Carmen, The Pearlfishers
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Faust; Rigoletto; Aida; Don Giovanni; Tannhauser.
Wow! What a great erudite group of people!
If I were stranded on a desert island, I would like lighter operas. Rossini: Il Viaggio A Reims 88-89 Staatsoper season, Abbado conducting. Brilliant!;
Guillaume Tell (it's always nice to hear the "Lone Ranger theme)! Donizetti:
L'Elsir d'amore - La Scala 2019. Mozart (sorry, I can't do umlauts): Die Entfuhrung ...; Die Zauberflote.
If I went a bit heavier I'd choose Donizetti's Maria Stuarda with Baltsa and Gruberova, Staatsoper April 1986. This one "hooked" me on opera! Verdi's Don Carlo because of the duet. Bizet's The Pearl Fishers ... because of the duet. Enough!
Tosca—Corelli
Turadont — Corelli
La Boheme— Pavarotti
Cenerentola, Barber of Sevilla, La Nozze de Fígaro
Claudio Monteverdi, L'INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA (Marc Minkowski, Anne Sophie von Otter) https://youtu.be/iON2bq3-_q0
Giacomo Puccini, LA BOHÈME (Mirella Freni, Gianni Raimondi)
https://youtu.be/5U2N2c96Kuk
Jules Massenet, THAÏS (Barbara Frittoli, Lado Ataneli) Teatro Regio di Torino
https://youtu.be/lGYtASTqi_Y
George Frideric Handel, GIULIO CESARE EN EGITTO (Montserrat Caballé) Liceu Opera Barcelona
https://youtu.be/7kjM2UoKYBw
Georges Bizet, CARMEN (Maria Callas, Georges Prêtre & L'opéra nationale de Paris) https://youtu.be/LUyhI_Hug78
*No particular order ❤. Loved the challenge🎵.
1. Marriage of Figaro
2. Don Giovanni
3. Falstaff
4. Rigoletto (the one with this cast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6S_kx0gDzc&ab_channel=JesusVillabrilleCastillo )
5. Elixir of Love (gotta be PAvarotti.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrh5oiy5kR8&ab_channel=Jos%C3%A9AntonioNavarro )
Probably I'd take Nabucco, since is the first opera I saw live at the Opera house in Bucharest and ever since then I am in love with it. As for the interpretation, can I take with me the entire cast & orchestra? It has to be powerful if I am to spend my life stranded on that island 😂
👏👏👏 and lol I think that is fair! :-)
1. Puccini’s La Boheme (RCA/Victor Vinyl) Jussi Björling, Victoria De Los Angelos
2. Verdi’s La Traviata (DVD), Edita Gruberova, Neil Schicoff, Georgio Zancanara
3. Bizet’s Carmen (DVD/Film Francesco Rosi), Placido Domingo, Julia Migenes-Johnson
The Catalani would be wonderful. Remember Wilhelmina Fernandez in the 80’s film ‘Diva’ -? The rest can be shared between Mozart, Handel and Verdi please!
Lucia di lammermoor (Callas), Nabucco (Muti-Ghiaurov), Falstaff (both of the version in the Met app, so Maestri and Plishka), Capriccio, Magic Flute. Also these last two, the Met versions. This is pretty much what stayed with me during the lockdown, probably I heard two of these every week, between others…